Google Glass distribution to contest winners begins this week

California: Google is starting to distribute its new Internet-connected glasses, something seen as the next breakthrough in mobile computing.

Google has picked 8,000 people in the US who entered a contest. The winners will have to pay $1,500 apiece for a test version of Google Glass. The company also took an unspecified number of orders from computer programmers.

Google said Wednesday it started making the glasses available Tuesday, though it may take weeks for recipients to get them.

The excitement stems from a belief that Google Glass is at the forefront of a new wave of technology known as "wearable computing."

Published reports say that Google, Apple Inc. and others also are working on Internet-connected wristwatches.

Google hopes to lower prices by the time it's on the mass market next year.

Google Glass is supposed to perform many of the same tasks as smartphones, except the spectacles respond to voice commands instead of fingers touching a display screen. The glasses include a tiny display screen attached to a rim above the right eye and run on Google's Android operating system for mobile devices.

Of late, Google released technical specifications of the Google Glass. The head-mounted device has adjustable nosepads and durable frame that fits any face. It will come with extra nosepads in two sizes.

The devices features a high resolution display, which is the equivalent of a 25-inch high definition screen from eight feet away. The Verge gives further details about the screen and says the Glass has a 640 x 360 display. It sports a 5 megapixel camera that can capture 720p videos. Its connectivity options include Wifi - 802.11b/g and Bluetooth.

The Glass has 16 GB of total flash storage on-baord, of which 12 GB is usable. It will sync with Google cloud storage, says the company.

The device is claimed to offer one full day of typical use. Google says, some features, like Hangouts and video recording, are more battery intensive. While there are thousands of micro USB chargers out there, Glass is designed and tested with the included charger in mind.

It is compatible with any Bluetooth-capable phone. The MyGlass companion app requires Android 4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich) or higher.

Google Glass is at the forefront of a new wave of technology known as "wearable computing."

(With inputs from Associated Press)